Bruce Klingner specializes in Korean and Japanese affairs as the senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at The Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center. Read his research
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The China–South Korea summit, as the U.S.–China summit that preceded it, is a Rorschach test allowing for greater optimism or pessimism regarding Beijing’s willingness to… Read More
The White House is spinning the U.S.–China summit as “quite unique and important meetings” between Presidents Obama and Xi, which resulted in “quite a bit… Read More
North Korea is in the news again and, surprisingly, it’s not because of yet another nuclear threat against the U.S. or its allies. North Korea… Read More
Nine North Korean refugees who had escaped from their homeland and made their way to Laos were forcibly repatriated on May 28. The defectors, ranging… Read More
To lead the nation always under threat from North Korea, backbone is required. As the president of South Korea has demonstrated over her past two… Read More
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South Korean President Park Geun-hye arrived in Washington on May 6 to meet with President Obama and affirm the bilateral alliance that has kept peace… Read More
During his trip to South Korea, Secretary of State John Kerry affirmed that the United States “will, if necessary, defend our allies and defend ourselves”… Read More
Questions over North Korea’s nuclear capabilities have again skyrocketed into the headlines—not because of another threat by Pyongyang but instead by a U.S. intelligence assessment…. Read More
North Korea never stops threatening its enemies. The belligerent dictatorship routinely threatens to turn Seoul, the capital of South Korea, into a “sea of fire.”… Read More
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So much for basketball diplomacy. Dennis Rodman’s meeting with his new BFF Kim Jong-un didn’t prevent the regime from threatening a pre-emptive nuclear strike to… Read More
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On March 5, Pyongyang threatened to nullify the 1953 armistice agreement ending the Korean War, raising already heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The declaration… Read More
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Pyongyang again disobeyed international efforts to rein in the recalcitrant regime by conducting its third nuclear test. North Korea announced it successfully conducted a test… Read More
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been in office less than a month but is already showing that he means business on addressing his country’s… Read More
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un continues to dazzle the world. The New Year dawned with Kim Jong-un giving a New Year’s Day policy speech rather… Read More
Conservative candidate Park Geun-hye won victory to become South Korea’s first woman president. Park, the daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, beat progressive challenger Moon… Read More
In Japan, the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) exceeded even the most optimistic predictions by winning a landslide victory in Sunday’s lower house election. LDP… Read More
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North Korea again defied the international community today by launching a Unha-3 rocket, which is the same vehicle as its Taepo Dong-2 ICBM. Despite North… Read More
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is in Asia trying to prevent further escalations in tensions over several territorial disputes. National elections in South Korea and… Read More
In recent weeks, Pyongyang has begun yet another charm offensive by reaching out to Beijing, Washington, and Tokyo. The diplomatic initiative follows the anointing of… Read More
Is new North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signaling that he will be more benevolent than his predecessors or that he will open the Hermit Kingdom… Read More
On June 6, the House Foreign Affairs Asian Subcommittee will focus its attention on “What’s Next for the U.S.–Korea Alliance?” Experts agree that the bilateral… Read More
North Korea unveiled a new missile during its April parade celebrating the 100th anniversary of the country’s founder, Kim Il-sung. The missile is assessed to… Read More
The United States and Japan released a revised deployment plan for U.S. Marine Corps forces in the Pacific. It is an improvement over the 2006… Read More
North Korea will defy international pressure and launch its Unha-3 missile, perhaps as early as Wednesday night (Washington, D.C., time). Despite Pyongyang’s characterization of the… Read More
President Obama’s much-vaunted “Asia Pivot” provides a much-needed emphasis on a region that is critical to U.S. national interests. But the strategy is undercut by… Read More
North Korea’s official media announced that Kim Jong-il, the country’s long-time leader, died on Saturday of “physical and mental overwork.” Although Kim had several health… Read More
Ballistic missiles pose an increasing risk to the United States and its allies, particularly as more nations strive to acquire nuclear weapons. The once exclusive… Read More
On November 16, President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced their intention to increase U.S. Marine Corps and Air Force training in… Read More
Ambassador Stephen Bosworth was typically cryptic in his remarks after concluding two days of meetings last week with North Korean counterparts. Bosworth stated that the… Read More
Free trade advocates can finally rejoice in the long-overdue passage of free trade agreements (FTAs) with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama that will benefit U.S…. Read More
